Tackle-block.



' PATENTED JAN. 24, 1905. A. V. H. MoNRo.

TAGKLB BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 1904.

Mn/e519 e .S

UNITED .STATES Patented January 24, 1905.

lPATENT OFFICE.

ARCHIBALD VASSEL HALE MONRO, OF DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,520, dated January 24, 1905.

Application filed May 24, 1904. Serial No. 209,531.

To @ZZ whom, it nea/y concern: 4

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD VAssnL HALE MONRO, master mariner, of Dunedin, New Zealand, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tackle-Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in tackle-blocks, and although applicable to any form of blocks where ropes are used it is specially applicable in connection with the raising and lowering of ships boats from the davits, as hereinafter described.

The object of this invention is to minimize the great diificulty, labor, and risk which are attendant on a boat being hoisted by reason of the necessity of passing the fall of the rope into the thumb-cleat on the davit and making it fast to the belaying-pin attached to the davit in order to cause the fall to lie in a curve down the davit and out of the way of the boat.

l am aware of blocks in which wedge-pieces, a lever, a pull-rope, and a weight at the end of the lever are used; but in these cases the object is to keep the wedge-pieces normally clamped on the rope to be freed by the pullrope operating the lever, whereas this block has the wedge-pieces normally clear of the ropes and is much simpler,being workable by any one and accordingl to the ordinary practice of seamen, and is particularly superior when lowering away a boat on a dark night.

The invention consists of the features and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a bracket with a portion of one of the cheeks cut away, showing gripper-pieces in position. Fig. 2 is asectional View through Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows the invention applied to a davit for` boat raising and lowering with a rope hold` ing the wedges jammed. Pulleys 1, 2, and 3 are supported by the bearing-cheeks 4, 5, 6, and 7 in the usual manner for lifting-tackle. The cheeks are provided with upward extensions 8, 9, 10, and 11 for the purpose of supporting the gripper-pieces 12, 13, and 14, which are for the purpose of jamsquare hole on a lever 19.

described. Thegripper-pieces are provided with smooth curved ends 16 for the purpose of preventing any chafe or cutting of the rope no matter how often the rope is brought in contact with them, the curve being such that the motion of the rope tends to tighten the grip. They are mounted, keyed, or otherwise secured to a spindle 17, adapted to turn freely in its bearings on the bearing cheeks. A square end 18 of the spindle 17 is fitted to a A weight 2O at the end of the lever 19 keeps the gripperpieces normally tilted up, allowing the ropes 15- to run freely over the pulleys when required. A lever-rope 22 is attached to an end23 of the lever 19, so that when the rope 22 is pulled the grippers immediately jam the rope 15 against the pulleys. This lever-rope is made fast to the deck, so that it cannot foul,

lsuch as by the bight being blown into the block.

In operation in raising a boat the rope running round the sheaves is pulled on until the necessary height is gained. vThe lever-rope 22 is then pulled, causing the grippers 12 13 111 to hold the sheave-rope 15, the fall of which can then be easily secured lround a thumb-cleat* 25 and fastened to a belayingpin 26, whereupon the lever-rope is released, also releasing the grippers. Should the sheave-rope 15 slip, as on the warping-barrels of a winch 27, or become suddenly detached, a slight jerk on the lever-rope will immediately check the boat from falling and will hold it until released. The object of passing the fall of the rope 15 over the belaying-pin 26 and securing it to the cleat 25 is to insure the boatI clearing the rope 15 when being pushed outboard and inboard.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a tackle-block such as described the combination therewith of a lever having a Weight at one endI and wedge-pieces pivoted midway of the lever which are held normally clear of the pulley-ropes and arecaused to jam the ropes on the`free end of the lever being pulled substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a tackle-block such as described the combination therewith of a lever, a pivotal connection midway thereof with the tacklehloek, wedge-pieces secured to the pivot, and a weight at one end of said lever whereby the wedge-pieces are normally kept clear of the ropes running in the block substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

ARCHIBALD VASSEI; HALE lllONlliO. Witnesses:

A. J. PARK, AUDREY JACKSON. 

